Israel 'racing' to wipe out Gaza, heritage minister says

Israeli Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu said on Thursday that the government is “racing ahead for Gaza to be wiped out”, as daily air strikes continue to kill dozens of Palestinians.

“Thank God, we are wiping out this evil,” he said during an interview with Haredi radio station Kol Barama.

“All Gaza will be Jewish,” he added.  

Eliyahu, a member of the far-right Jewish Power party led by Itamar Ben Gvir, also said that “there is no hunger in Gaza".

“But we don’t need to be concerned with hunger in the strip,” he continued. “Let the world worry about it.”

Over 100 humanitarian agencies signed a letter on Wednesday sounding the alarm over Israel-imposed starvation in Gaza, where at least 45 Palestinians have died from malnutrition over the past week, according to the Palestinian health ministry. 

Eliyahu’s comments drew immediate criticism from Israel’s ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, who urged the minister to retract his statement during a tense private phone call, according to the Jerusalem Post. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Eliyahu "does not speak for the government I lead". 

“He is not a member of the Security Cabinet that determines the conduct of the war,” Netanyahu added. 

Nuking Gaza

Eliyahu has previously discussed using nuclear weapons in Gaza, telling a radio host in 2023 that “that’s one option” for Israeli military strategy in the besieged enclave.

These comments drew a reprimand from Netanyahu, though Eliyahu retained his ministerial role despite calls for his immediate removal, following a brief suspension from cabinet meetings.  

Later that year, in December, Eliyahu called for the execution of Palestinian prisoners after his Jewish Power party submitted a controversial draft law on the matter to the Israeli parliament.

“We are a law-abiding state, but we urgently need to refer them to God so that they are not released in deals,” said Eliyahu, according to Ynet.